The Report
by gluegirl56
Summary: First you must survive a mission then you must write it all down. Sometimes that writing part cause more problem than the mission. Involves Team Sheppard and Keller
1. Chapter 1

**Stargate Atlantis – The ****Report**

_**Disclaimer**_: I own nothing

_**Characters**_: Team Sheppard and Keller

_**Spoilers**_: None

_**Time**_: Season 5

_I don't know where this is going but I got an idea one day…_

_Are mission reports really that easy to write? _

_oooooooooo_

Ronon waved away a fly from his sweaty face and glared at the scientist bent down over the dialling device.

"Are you done?" He asked grumpily.

McKay bumped his head on the console as he rose from his cramped position. His skin felt clammy and his body dehydrated even though the rain fell upon him.

"Look I am going as fast as I can." He answered testily.

Sheppard watched them tiredly from where he lay in the grass with his P-90 ready.

"Guys." He warned.

Keller slowly made her way over to him with a concerned look on her face.

Sheppard waved her away, the bandage on his hand stained with blood.

"I am fine." He said simply. His breathing was somewhat shallow and he looked feverish.

"In translation that means near death." Rodney muttered.

"Hey!" Sheppard protested.

Teyla rose from her position and gasped as she put weight on her injured foot. They seemed to be alone at the gate. Ronon had come to the same conclusion as he moved over to help.

Rodney felt light-headed and ill. He hadn't eaten anything since yesterday; still he swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

Jennifer kneeled at Sheppard's side and reached out to touch the blood-coloured bandage on his torso. "John this is bad."

"You don't look like sunshine either Doc."

She closed her eyes momentarily and felt a hand on her shoulder. "I am fine." She said reassuringly.

"I believe that's my catch phrase." John smiled weakly.

"The gate…is…active." Rodney whispered, he felt so tired.

_o__ooooooooo_

"No IDC." Chuck said.

"Please let it be them." Woolsey said, his voice low but hopeful.

"We have an IDC, its Colonel Sheppard's team." Chuck confirmed with a faint smile.

A med team stood ready at the gate as Richard headed down from the control room.

Ronon practically dragged McKay through the gate while Teyla and Sheppard supported each other. Keller seemed thorn between attending Rodney or John but the colonel steered her towards McKay.

Richard walked straight up to John his face full of concern. "What happened out there?"

_oooooooooo _

_Please let me know what you think I would appreciate it._


	2. Chapter 2

_oooooooooo_

John couldn't keep his eyes open and the second later he felt two strong arms grab him as his knees started to buckle. Ronon grimaced as he took on the weight and Dr. Cole eyed him sternly.

"Ronon you need to get examined." She glanced over at Richard. "Later Mr. Woolsey."

Richard looked around the room as the little crowd started to dissolve; most of them in the direction of the infirmary.

"Hello? Could someone fill me in!" He shouted, frustrated as he caught a glimpse of Ronon and Teyla rounding a corner further down on the corridor.

"I want a report on this!" When no one seemed to listen he sighed and headed back towards the control room. "Chuck?"

_oooooooooo_

Keller felt the adrenalin once again pump through her body as they neared the infirmary. She leaned over her patient. "Rodney can you hear me?"

"Hmpf."

"Come on Rodney please open your eyes for me." She was concerned by the lack of response.

The scientist suddenly started to shiver violently causing Keller to shout out orders.

"He is going into shock; come on people I need and IV and…"

Teyla could only catch half of it as she and Ronon slowly made their way towards the infirmary. However she could hear that Rodney's condition wasn't good. She hated when people close to her got hurt and unfortunately her closest friends seemed to have a tendency of getting into trouble.

Her eyes wandered further down in the corridor to another stretcher. John Sheppard was unconscious by now and she felt her heart stop. She always feared seeing him in that condition; so fragile.

"Teyla?" Ronon looked at her with concern.

She smiled at him. "I am sorry Ronon I didn't hear you; I was…preoccupied."

"They will make it." He said confidently.

Two medics came running towards them. "Teyla and Ronon you should not walk."

Ronon eyed them suspiciously. "I am not getting into one of those." He said indicating the wheelchairs.

"It is not open for discussion." The older medic said.

_oooooooooo_

_He stood in a damp cave frozen in place._

"_No Rodney don't!" He shouted._

_He remembered the look on the scientists face. He had that look; like a kid in the candy store. _

_The last symbol on the tablet clicked in place and he could do nothing to stop it. _

"_Booby trap!" He heard Ronon shout from behind. _

"_Teyla!" He couldn't find Teyla. _

_He stood on a plateau as several darts approached. _

_Ronon aimed and fired. A bit further down the path Keller and Rodney half carried Teyla. _

"_Go!" He heard Ronon shout at him and he ran to lay cover for __the rest of them. _

Images popped up in his brain randomly but he was not aware of his surroundings.

Two small hands took a steady grip of his shoulders.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

That voice, he recognised that voice but who did it belong to?

"John please wake up."

"Teyla?" He mumbled.

"Yes she is here and Ronon and Rodney too."

"Doc?" He asked feverishly.

Jennifer smiled at him. "Yes that's right."

"Ronon, Rodney, Teyla, you?" He whispered faintly.

She snorted, so typical of him to ask about others first.

"I am tired but I will manage." She reassured him.

"Teyla is resting beside you." Keller looked to her right.

"She will be fine, her foot wasn't as bad as I first thought but several bones are broken and it will take a while to get it back to normal."

"She will not lose her foot?" He asked trying to follow.

"No she will not." Keller said reassuringly.

"Ronon and Rodney?"

"Ronon is running a slight fever and I had to stitch up that arm of his but otherwise he is fine. He was at your side until I ordered him back in bed."

John nodded slowly trying to process the information. "Rodney?"

"John you need to rest…" She began.

"I want…to know."

"He went into shock as we came back due to exhaustion. His body was reacting towards the not so mild treatment. I have given him fluids, nourishment and a dose of antibiotics but he is still having a high fever."

She smiled at him as Marie came over with a cloth. "Now; your own condition…"

"I am sure I'll live." He said weakly.

"Your wounds have been infected and you have lost a fair amount of blood. Luckily I didn't need to get you to surgery and I have given you a cure of antibiotics." She eyed him sternly.

"John what you need now is rest and I'll see you tomorrow."

He looked up at her, his eyes glossy. "Tomorrow?"

"It's almost midnight, the rest of your team is sleeping and I suggest you do the same."

"I have been out long." He said simply.

"Ten hours." She answered. "You will all be fine, now go to sleep."

_oooooooooo_

It was early morning and Ronon was already bored, he hated being in the infirmary as it meant he showed weakness. Jennifer was nice and he had nothing against her but it was the place. He wanted nothing more than to retreat to his room.

He heard Richard Woolsey talking to Keller about their condition and then footsteps coming closer.

"Ah Ronon." Richard smiled. "What happened on the planet?"

The Satedan frowned. "Not much actually, we got company, McKay started some device, there was an earthquake or something but we made it."

"I see." Woolsey nodded. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"There isn't more to tell." Ronon shrugged.

"Well perhaps you could put everything down on the report and hand it to me?" Woolsey said and turned to leave.

Ronon hated reports; a waste of time to make things like that.

_oooooooooo_

_Confused? It will all be in the report…_

_Thank you everyone putting the story on alert and reviewing and to those who just read because you make my day =)_


	3. Chapter 3

_oooooooooo_

The sun streamed into the infirmary; it was early morning. Doctor Cole made her way through the infirmary careful not to wake anyone. She glanced at the Satedan and jumped as he stared back at her.

"Ronon, you scared me." She said with an insecure look on her face.

"I am usually up this hour; running." He emphasized the last word.

"And you will do that again when you have recovered. Why don't you relax and take it easy?" Cole looked at him softly.

When he didn't say anything she added. "From the look of your chart you will need it."

"I have to write a mission report." He said grumpily.

The Doctor chuckled. "It can't be that bad."

"It's easy for you to say."

_oooooooooo_

Teyla woke up to the sound of voices. She opened her heavy eyelids and glanced down on her foot; it still hurt. Jennifer had taken scans of it, set it, stopped the bleeding and put it in a cast. She sighed; none of this would have happened if it wasn't for the Acclosians that had gone missing or P3X-561-M. That planet wasn't on her travelling list in the near future.

Marie suddenly stood beside her smiling. "Teyla how are you today?"

"I must be out of it since I didn't hear you coming." She answered diplomatically.

"Well Doctor Keller has you on some heavy painkillers."

Teyla looked around. "Is Jennifer all right?"

Marie nodded. "We convinced her that you all behaved and that she should be in her quarters resting for a while."

Teyla looked over at the still form to her right. "How's John doing?"

The nurse sighed. "He has had a rough night but his body is finally starting to fight off the infection."

"Has there been any change in Rodney's condition?" Teyla asked.

"Doctor Cole is attending him right now but he seemed better earlier this morning and his fever is almost gone." Marie smiled softly. "I have to go; call if you need anything."

Teyla watched her leave before her eyes landed on Ronon. "Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Just bored."

She looked curiously at the recorder in his hand.

"Got it from Woolsey; he wants a report." Ronon said before she had a chance to ask.

Mission report, she sighed heavily. She didn't want to think about it but as she closed her eyes images popped up in her brain.

_She walked up front with Rodney as Ronon and John walked lazily behind. The village was at least an hour from the gate and there were no indication of hostility. _

_She clearly remembered what happened next. _

"_It's so humid here I can't even walk without being drenched in sweat." Rodney complained as he waved at the flies who had taken a liking to his clammy skin._

"_You should exercise more Rodney it would be good for you." John said smugly. _

_Keller laughed at them as she momentarily stopped to drink some water. _

"_We should speed up." Ronon warned. _

"_Do you hear that?" Rodney asked anxiously._

"_Sounds suspiciously like a dart__" John said. _

Teyla opened her eyes focusing on the far wall trying to block out the painful memories she knew that she would relive.

She sat up a little straighter and looked for the nurse. "Marie could you please get my computer? Mr. Woolsey wants a report."

_oooooooooo_

"_It's an earthquake we have to get out of here!" Rodney shouted desperately. _

_Sheppard grabbed her arm. "Go!" _

_She tried to tell him__ she could help but he wanted none of it. _

_She watched as Ronon gently lifted Teyla from the ground careful not to touch her foot as Rodney pushed her forward. _

"_The Wraith are coming!" John shouted as he raised his weapon and fired. _

She turned around and yelped as her hand connected with something hard. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up in bed; it was 08.00 hours. She wiped away a thin layer sweat on her forehead and removed her covers whishing it had all been a dream. But the images she saw had been real; very real the day before.

Jennifer Keller sighed heavily feeling the beginning of a headache. She had to write a report about it and she didn't look forward to it. However first things first; she was going to have a look at her friends.

_oooooooooo_

A figure stood bend over him and at first he thought nothing of it because his foggy mind didn't make the connection. The thing was going to feed on him; he had to get away. He could feel the panic rising as alarms went off.

"Doctor McKay! It's Doctor Cole; you are safe and sound in the infirmary."

"I am…I am back on Atlantis?" He asked confusion written on his face.

"Yes you all are." Cole said calmly.

"Oh I thought I dreamt walking through the gate." He said relieved.

"Well about that part; Ronon pretty much dragged you through." She answered amused.

McKay looked her annoyed. "You really felt the need to mention that did you?"

He glanced around the room; his eyes coming to halt on the Satedan. "Hey what is Conan doing?"

Cole followed his gaze. "Ronon is making a mission report."

Rodney snorted. "Oh come on with a recorder? I mean how _out_ isn't that?"

"All ways are good except the bad ones Rodney." She said taking up his chart.

"He looked her nervously. "How am I doing? I feel a bit drowsy and I am hot. I mean I am not going to die…"

"Relax McKay you are going to be fine." She said reassuringly.

He looked at Ronon again and shrugged. Mission report to Woolsey? It took way too much of his precious time.

Rodney sank down in pillow; he had to get Radek to come down with his computer. He closed his eyes, no that would have to wait he was in fact very sick.

The last thing he heard before falling asleep was Jennifer Keller talking to Amanda Cole.

_oooooooooo_

_To be continued…_

_Mission reports are starting to form. _


	4. Chapter 4

_oooooooooo_

_It was a blur but he remembered them walking cautiously through the woods;__ away from the village. The next thing happened so fast; Rodney went last complaining about how hot he was and he had made a comment about it. Then McKay was on the ground; stunned by a blast. _

"_They are all over the place!" Teyla shouted. _

_Ronon grabbed Rodney as he and Teyla laid cover fire. _

"_We have to get out in the open to reach the gate!" Keller shouted. _

_He had turned his__ head towards her and nodded at that. Then he watched in horror how Ronon and Rodney fell through the ground. He threw himself at them managing to grab McKay's foot and felt someone grabbing his in an attempt to break their fall. His momentum carried him over the edge and hard against what had once been the ceiling of the chamber. _

_He felt an intense pain as something penetrated his side and he loosened his grip. Someone shouted above him; Teyla and then he and Keller joined Ronon and Rodney at the bottom six meters further down. _

_oooooooooo_

He tried to move away from the pain as it increased but a hand was gently placed on his chest stopping him.

"I am sorry John but I had to take a sneak peak." Jennifer said as she put a new bandage over the wound.

"It's okay." Sheppard mumbled.

"We are back?" He asked suddenly.

Keller looked at him concerned. "Yes don't you remember?"

He nodded, it all started to come back to him now.

"Good, the others are worried about you." She smiled softly.

She pointed a finger at him. "And before you ask, the rest of them are all better."

"Colonel Sheppard?" Richard Woolsey walked over to him.

"A very short visit Mr. Woolsey." Keller warned before heading over to Rodney.

Richard nodded at her and moved to stand close the colonel. "John how are you doing?"

"I am…not fine but I am getting there." He admitted.

Woolsey sighed not knowing how to start. "What happened on Acclo?"

"A lot of things…"

"Mr. Woolsey? Keller warned.

He looked at her. "Just a minute."

"Wraith happened to Acclosians, didn't see anyone left in the village. We did find an Ancient chamber but I'll summarize it in the report."

Woolsey looked at the military leader; he looked tired and drawn. Keller had warned him and he understood what she had meant. "I'll head to the control room; you just rest and get better."

_oooooooooo_

"Jennifer?"

She lightened up and moved over to him as she watched Woolsey leave Colonel Sheppard's side. "Rodney how are you feeling?"

"I am hungry." He smiled at her.

"Well then you must be better. You had us worried there for a while." She took his hand and smiled back.

"John, Teyla?" He asked; he had seen Ronon sitting up in bed the last time he had woke up.

"Teyla is fine, she just needs to rest her foot and is going to be immobile for a while."

"But her foot?" He asked.

"Several bones have been crushed and there was a bleeding but it is going to be fine." Jennifer moved a little.

He could see the Athosian now; she was sitting up in bed looking fairly good. To her right he saw Colonel Sheppard sleeping a restless sleep, his skin covered with a thin layer of sweat.

Jennifer followed his gaze. "John is fighting off the infection and although he might not look better; he is."

"He is going to be okay?" Rodney asked.

"Yes." Jennifer said reassuringly. She looked at him. "Is there anything you need?"

"Well I might be sick but great discoveries can't wait, I could use my computer."

_oooooooooo_

_Atlantis Mission Report Archive _

_P3X-561-M, Acclo_

_Teyla Emmagan _

She could not avoid this any longer, she had no excuse. Teyla sighed and started typing.

After a visit to my people I found out that one of our loyal trading partners could not be reached. When coming back to Atlantis I told my team leader about it and it was then decided together with the Atlantis expedition leader Richard Woolsey that we should gate to P3X-561-M.

Arriving through the stargate together with Atlantis CMO Jennifer Keller we detected nothing out of the ordinary.

The Acclosians are a proud people and in many ways capable of taking care of their own. I was therefore surprised that they couldn't be reached. Like the Athosians the Acclosians have a rich culture and they have many rituals. A long time ago our people sat down and talked about the galaxy, the threats to our race and how to make a sustainable life. They were quick to adapt to new things and managed to fight off the Wraith on several occasions during the war. But like most people in this galaxy they reached a point where they couldn't win. Too few of them survived and a lot of technological advancements were lost in the battle. Like many other races they had to fight for their survival.

Like I mentioned we didn't detect any dangers as we started to make our way toward the village.

_o__ooooooooo_

"_Uh you didn't __lie when you said it was humid." John said as he felt the moist in the air._

_She smiled at him and waited for all of them to come through. _

_Ronon had his hand on his weapon scanning their surroundings as Doctor Keller emerged from the gate carrying her field kit. _

_Sheppard turned towards McKay. "Anything on the life signs detector?" _

"_No nothing at all." Rodney replied frowning. _

_John patted Rodney's shoulder. "Let's head towards the village."_

_oooooooooo_

When we had covered half the distance darts began flying over our heads and we had to take cover.

She once again saw John's face.

_o__ooooooooo_

"_Sounds suspiciously like a dart." _

_Rodney looked up in the sky. "It is a dart…darts!" He said anxiously. _

"_Everyone moves now!" Sheppard shouted. _

_She glanced up at the small ships and raised her gun. "The village is this way!"_

"_Okay the mystery is solved; they got culled!" McKay shouted over the noise hands on his gun. _

"_We have to look for survivors." Ronon replied. _

_Keller looked very determined trying to block out the fear clutching her bag. _

_o__ooooooooo_

Several more darts approached. They had probably been tipped off by the gate activation. We continued towards they village and managed to shake them off.

_o__ooooooooo_

"_Is everyone okay?" Sheppard asked._

"_Yes." She breathed heavily._

_Rodney looked at the gate down in the valley. "They are retreating." He said not understanding the reason. _

"_Maybe there isn't anything left." Ronon stated bluntly. _

_Keller glared at him._

_Ronon looked at the doctor. "Wraith doesn't leave something unfinished behind." _

"_Let's head up." John said._

_oooooooooo_

Teyla continued typing.

When we arrived at the village it was empty as we feared it would be. Dr. Keller and Dr. McKay started searching for signs of life as Colonel Sheppard, Ronon and myself cautiously moved in the open streets. We all continued searching for at least half an hour before we heard shouting and shooting. Colonel Sheppard quickly took the lead heading towards Keller and McKay's last known location. Several Wraith moved in the vicinity and we had to gun all of them down before retrieving our people.

_o__ooooooooo_

_John and Ronon nodded at each other and started shooting. _

"_Rodney, Jennifer!" She remembered herself shouting. _

"_In here!" Came a reply._

_The Wraith fell to the ground and she could make out two relieved faces in the shadows. _

"_Oh thank you…what took you so long?" McKay asked glaring at Sheppard. _

"_What happened?" John returned ignoring Rodney's comment. _

"_The Wraith tried to kill us." He snapped. _

"_We got a faint blip on the life signs detector from here." Jennifer said sadly while looking over her shoulder."_

_o__ooooooooo_

The Athosian swallowed and tried to push away the images as she wrote.

Doctor Keller showed us the remains of the last Acclosians. All of them dead; culled by the Wraith. Their faces twisted in fear and pain. The last Acclosian had been drained only minutes ago. We will live with the knowledge that we came too late.

"Hey Teyla."

She looked up from her computer and smiled.

"John; how are you doing?" She asked happy that he was awake and lucid.

"I am fine." He gave her a wicked smile.

She nodded. "Bet you are."

"Hey don't so disbelieving." He whined.

"Why not; you are telling her a lie." Another voice broke in.

John glared across the room. "Can it McKay." He said annoyed.

"What; I am just saying…" He began innocently.

"…too much." Sheppard filled in for him.

"…then the Wraith came but we took them down…" Ronon said from somewhere not far from him.

Sheppard turned his head towards the voice. "Who is Ronon talking too?" He questioned.

Mckay snorted. "His new friend the recorder."

John frowned.

"Mission report." Teyla filled in.

"Oh..." He glanced around and saw them suspiciously busy with their computers. "…all of you?"

"More or less." Rodney said looking at Ronon.

"You are so in for a running exercise McKay." Ronon threatened.

"Hrmm." Jennifer said clearing the air. "So how are my patients doing?"

"We are good." Ronon said.

"Don't forget to pause on that thing Ronon." Rodney said.

"Well we are all fine for the moment." John said diplomatically. "However I cannot guarantee Rodney's safety."

"Hey I was just trying to be nice." He complained.

"Yeah and I saw Santa Claus yesterday." John said sarcastically.

Ronon looked at him. "Who?"

John rolled his eyes.

Keller smiled. "I'll be back to check on you later." She shook her head as she walked away from the infirmary. Her smiled vanished as she once again saw images from the day before.

_ooooooooo _

_To be __continued_

_Please leave a review if you like it._


	5. Chapter 5

_// I am so sorry for not posting earlier but life can be pretty demanding at times. It's a poor excuse I know so here are two chapters as compensation._

_ooooooooo _

The Satedan looked at the recorder beside his bed and sighed. Doctor Cole had laughed at him and McKay; the few moments he had been lucid before he began writing his own report had called him daft.

John was sleeping again and Teyla looked lost in thought, he had no idea where Keller got to and by the sound of buttons being pushed near him he knew McKay was hard at it.

However Ronon wasn't one to give up, he may not like writing reports on his own and preferred when Sheppard did it for the whole team but he was going to show them. He looked around and for the moment it was nice and quiet; perfect for recording.

"This is Ronon Dex recording for _Atlantis Mission Report Archive_. Mission to P3X-561-M or Acclo as we call it in the Pegasus galaxy."

He felt satisfied with the start; it was short and concise. He knew Sheppard wrote a few papers and that it should be detailed. The last part had Woolsey pointed out. Here goes nothing as Sheppard sometimes said.

Writing a report meant that you where forced to get back to the events of the days before and Ronon wasn't looking forward to that. As a runner he had seen far worse things and he had been indirectly responsible in some cases but nothing could prepare a human to see death.

"I am sure someone has already told what happened on the mission but…" He paused and looked at the ceiling. What was he going to say?

"While visiting her people Teyla learnt that the Acclosians couldn't be contacted. She spoke with Colonel Sheppard about it and then we where summoned to Richard Woolsey's office to discuss our options."

"Well we got a green light and went to the planet. On the planet we ran into Wraith but we managed to take them down quickly. Our team headed for the village and arriving there we once again crossed path with the Wraith."

Ronon felt adrenalin pump through his body and involuntary squeezed the recorder in a tight grip as he relived what had happened the days before.

"Doctor Keller…Did I mention that she was added to our team before heading on the mission…" Ronon tried to remember how detailed the information should be on the report.

"When we arrived at the village Sheppard, Teyla and I went looking for anything suspicious while McKay and Jennifer wandered off somewhere. Nothing happened in a long time and I was starting to get bored. Then all of a sudden someone started shooting and I looked at Sheppard. We gave the Wraith all we got till there was nothing left and retrieved our people."

Ronon closed his eyes; anger was evident on his face and his voice became harder as he saw the dead Acclosians before his eyes.

"Doctor Keller showed what remained of a proud people. The Wraith had sucked the life out of them because we came too late."

_oooooooooo_

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

_oooooooooo_

_Atlantis Mission Report Archive _

_P3X-561-M, Acclo_

_Doctor Rodney McKay,__ Chief Scientist_

A member on Colonel Sheppard's team…

No that didn't sound good; he felt the need to add something and typed again.

…our team.

There that was much better; after all he always came up with a solution to their problems. Rodney was smiling to himself as he continued.

Teyla Emmagan found out, while visiting her people in the bushes, that one of their trading partners couldn't be reached and consulted Colonel Sheppard about it. After that there was a meeting in Richard Woolsey's office about how to proceed. We were to gate to the planet P3X-561-M and search for the missing people and our CMO Jennifer Keller should accompany us there in case her services were needed.

_oooooooooo_

"_Do we really have to go on this mission?" He whined. "I mean Zelenka needs to spend more time off world." _

_Sheppard gave him one of his mischievous smiles and folded his arms. "What's the matter; no technological advancements or ancient devices on the planet?" _

_Teyla had turned to him with a disappointed look on her face. "Doctor McKay the people on Acclo are my friends. Humans don't need to be technologically advanced to be something in this world." _

"_In this galaxy they won't live long if they aren't." He returned with a smile on his face. _

_Ronon shook his head and took up his gun._

_John looked at him curiously. "Are we expecting trouble?" _

"_You need to be prepared." Came a short reply._

_oooooooooo_

He began typing again.

Stepping through the event horizon at our destination everything seemed peaceful enough. However the climate on the planet was awfully humid and foggy.

Rodney paused and looked around the room. Ronon seemed to think hard about something and Teyla had drifted off to sleep with the computer standing near.

"Rodney how are you doing?" A soft voice suddenly said.

He jumped. "Hey I didn't hear you coming." He looked at her. "You know how it is…lost in thoughts."

She nodded at him. "I know what you mean; I had a dream last night."

"It's better to write it down right away and get over it." He said looking back on his screen.

"Yeah…" She watched him as he started pushing buttons. "How are you managing all the time?" She suddenly asked.

He looked up at her. "Managing what?"

"You are on the number one team and you see a lot of bad things. How can you just push it all back all the time?"

"We can't." He said sadly.

She nodded and seemed to think about it for a while. "I am going to check on John."

"Jennifer you need to rest as well." He said concerned.

She smiled gently at him. "A lot of people tell me that."

"Then take the advice."

Jennifer held her smile and turned around. She couldn't rest and she couldn't sleep because the minute she tried the images kept coming back to her. Arriving at Colonel Sheppard's side she looked at him as he slept lightly. "How do you manage it?" She wondered silently.

_oooooooooo_

Rodney sighed and continued his report.

It was hard to breath in the humid atmosphere and how people could actually live there is beyond me.

Nothing registered on the life-signs-detector and it was a relaxed walk towards the village.

_oooooooooo_

"_Why would people establish a village on a plateau?" he asked annoyed. _

_Sheppard turned to him. "As I said before McKay you need to quit whining and exercise more." _

"_For someone as smart as you are supposed to be you should have figured out I am far too busy in my lab solving tricky problems." He replied annoyed._

"_Of course the Pegasus galaxy wouldn't survive without you." John said sarcastically._

_Teyla and Jennifer shared a smile. _

"_Are they always behaving like that?" Keller asked._

_Teyla seemed to think about before answering. "More or less." _

_oooooooooo_

After walking for at least a couple of kilometres we were approached by several darts.

Colonel Sheppard took command immediately. How he can stroll around casually in one minute and change into full military command mood is a mystery.

_oooooooooo_

"_Sounds suspiciously like a dart." Sheppard said thoughtfully. _

_Rodney looked up in the sky. "It is a dart…darts!" He said anxiously. _

"_Everyone moves now!" Sheppard shouted. _

_Teyla shouted and pointed towards the woods. "The village is this way!"_

"_Okay the mystery is solved; they got culled!" He shouted over the noise as he raised his P90._

_Ronon seemed to like the action and fired for all he was worth._

_Keller looked very determined trying to block out the fear clutching her bag. _

_He remembered feeling concern and sympathy for her. _

_oooooooooo _

More darts approached. It is likely that our gate activation had sent them on patrol. We managed to escape them and continued toward village. When we were at a safe distance the darts seemed to retreat; for that I have no answer. As Ronon Dex pointed out perhaps the Wraith considered it to be nothing left.

_oooooooooo_

"_Are we there soon?" He asked._

"_Yes it is not very far now." Teyla replied a little out of breath._

"_Quiet." Ronon cautioned._

"_Quiet?" Rodney asked annoyed._

_The Satedan held up his hand. John looked at him alerted. The minutes seemed to last for years._

"_There is nothing here." Ronon said. _

_Relieved by the answer Keller put down her bag and started handing out water bottles. "In this climate we need to take several breaks and drink a lot." The doctor said._

"_Oh finally a sane person." He said. _

_oooooooooo_

After walking for at least 50 minutes we reached the village. It was decided that Keller and myself should look for survivors; sick or injured while Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla secured the area. Keller got a faint reading on the life-signs-detector and we headed for a street parallel to the main one.

_o__oooooooo_

"_Are you sure it is a life sign?" He asked sceptically._

"_It would be terrible to leave someone in the presence of Wraith." She said looking at him._

"_Very well but…" He watched as more signs registered on the detector. _

_Keller looked at the display. "More people."_

"_I am not so sure they are humans." He answered her thoughtfully._

_The doctor took her gun and headed for the signs. Afraid for their safety he followed. Arriving in front of a larger storage building he moved past her trying to open the heavy door. He grimaced at the scraping sounds as the door slid open. They moved through the dark room in silence and he almost jumped when Keller's small hand suddenly grabbed his arm. He felt his hair rise as he stared at a stack of people on the floor in front of him. A snarl could be heard nearby. _

"_What was that?" Jennifer whispered._

"_Wraith." He turned and started pushing her in the opposite direction. "We have to get out of here." _

_One of the Wraith suddenly moved forward from his position aiming his gun. He felt the panic rise and quickly dove behind a smaller object pushing Keller down. _

_oooooooooo_

"Doctor McKay?" Amanda Cole asked worriedly.

He glanced up from the screen dumbfounded.

"Your heart monitor went off." She explained.

"Oh I was just thinking back on something." He looked around the place realizing that all his team mates watched him worriedly.

The doctor had a grim look on her face. "You are in the infirmary to rest and not to be sick or have setbacks."

"Let me just finish the sentence." He pleaded as she tried to take his computer away.

Doctor Cole folded her arms and nodded. "All right but then you rest or I will tell Doctor Keller." She said and headed off.

"Are you sure you are all right?" Teyla asked concerned. She had woken up to the beeping sound.

Rodney nodded. "Yes I am fine."

"You shouldn't be too ecstatic about what happened." John drawled.

McKay tried to shift focus from himself which was quite uncommon as he liked being in the centre of attention. "How are you doing?" He asked.

"I am fine." Came the tired reply. In truth John was feeling hot and clammy; his side throbbed dully and his hand felt clumsy with the bandage.

The scientist watched the pilot as he tried to shift in his bed; it wasn't without effort.

_oooooooooo_

The Canadian started typing again convincing himself that he was safe on Atlantis.

We got help from our team as they took down the Wraith. After that we took a good look at what Keller and I had seen in the dark before the encounter with the Wraith. The sight was horrible; people lay on the floor drained by the inhuman touch of the Wraith. The last Acclosian had been killed only minutes before our arrival and we will all live with the fact that if we had been there just a couple of hours earlier many could have been saved.

_oooooooooo_

To be continued


	7. Chapter 7

_oooooooooo_

Keller glanced at her watch; it read 11 am. Three days had went past since they had come back from the planet and she still hadn't started working on her report. She convinced herself that it was logical since she hadn't had the time. It had been enough to update journals and to take care of SGA-1. Sometimes she wished Carson hadn't left to live with the people of the Pegasus galaxy.

She was happy to be able to release Ronon today. Unfortunately the rest of them didn't like the idea of staying put. Rodney claimed to have a lot to do in his lab trying to figure out more about the Ancient chamber that they had fallen into. Teyla wanted to leave and spend time with her people and try to explain what had happened with the Acclosian people. John had argued that he was fine and needed to stretch his legs. She had had no doubt he was going to talk with Lorne.

She sighed and headed for her computer.

_o__ooooooooo_

_Atlantis Mission Report Archive _

_P3X-561-M, Acclo_

_Chief Medical Officer Jennifer Keller _

I was contacted by Colonel Sheppard and told by Richard Woolsey, the expedition leader, to join the colonel and his team on a mission to P3X-561-M. After meeting up with the team in the gate room we headed out.

_oooooooooo_

"_Travelling light is not your style Doc?" Sheppard asked amused, watching her carrying a bag with medical supplies. _

_She smiled at him. "One can never be too careful." _

_Rodney rolled his eyes. "It's not like there's been a plague or anything." _

_When no one answered his expression changed from annoyed to concerned. "Right?" He asked for confirmation. _

_John made a sweeping gesture towards the gate. "The answer will soon reveal itself to you." _

_Teyla laughed at their expressions while __Ronon walked up to her as his team mates were busy throwing smart comments at each other. "I'll take the bag." He said reaching out for it. _

"_Thanks Ronon but I can manage." She smiled at him. "Besides I am the one who packed this much in the first place." _

_She watched him as he nodded and moved away. She could see the hint of sadness in his eyes. It wasn't like she didn't like him but he wasn't her type. _

_oooooooooo_

Stepping out of the gate everything seemed quiet and normal on the other side. The climate was very humid and trekking difficult. How the Acclosians could live and grow crops there was amazing. I looked for signs of medical trouble but none was showing. Colonel Sheppard's team consists of strong willed people who are competent and trained for survival.

She looked up from her computer and scanned the chatty infirmary and momentarily considered doing a round to see what was going on but changed her mind and then again concentrated at the report.

Perhaps Rodney McKay was an exception to the last part but he had exercised while in Atlantis and if he had survived the missions SGA-1 had been on before, she had no doubt he would last this one too.

_oooooooooo_

"_I don't believe it; every insect seem to want a part of me." Rodney complained as he scratched his itching neck. _

"_Well it must feel great to be so attractive." John __smirked. _

_She had almost laughed out loud. _

_The scientist turned around to face the military leader with an incredulous look on his face. _

"_Why am __I__ the only one?" _

"_It's probably your bug spray McKay." Ronon said bluntly._

_Teyla took a step towards him and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Rodney they aren't poisonous." She said smiling._

_oooooooooo_

When we had walked a couple of kilometres several darts approached our position and we had to make a run for it.

She looked up again and the infirmary seemed to have quieted down. Satisfied that she had managed to write this long without interruptions she felt herself drift back to the planet and the unhappy faith of the people that once lived there.

She remembered how frightened she had been when the darts began descending over their heads. The thought of being beamed up on a hive ship and being drained by a frightening alien had been freaking her out. She had clutched her bag tightly and felt herself being pushed towards the direction of the village by Teyla.

She concentrated at the screen and words there and continued typing.

Having encountered Wraith many times before Colonel Sheppard's team calmly and methodically shot two of them down before the rest of them retreated down in the valley.

The walk towards the village was smooth and we stopped only to get some water. Arriving in less than an hour and a half we walked up to the main street. It was unusually quiet, not even the birds sang. If we hadn't run into the Wraith I would have guessed that an epidemic would have been the likely cause for the people here not to contact anyone. Walking on the main street felt like walking on someone's grave; it was that bad feeling. Doctor McKay and I headed off in search for survivors as the Colonel, Teyla and Ronon moved to secure the area.

_oooooooooo_

_Sheppard raised his gun in front of himself as expecting trouble. "We need to secure the area."_

_Ronon nodded and moved closer to his team leader and Teyla quickly followed, taking position behind them._

"_I will look for survivors." She said._

_John nodded. "Take McKay with you."_

_oooooooooo_

We moved towards the signs and McKay cautioned that they might not be human. The detector led us to an old warehouse on a parallel street. The building looked like it had been taken from one of those bad horror movies. We carefully entered the building and moved cautiously through the first floor. Doctor McKay had been right when he thought that the life signs weren't human. I was pushed down on the floor by him as several Wraith could be distinguished in the dark. There seemed to be Acclosians there as well but at that moment I couldn't tell whether they were alive or not.

_oooooooooo_

_Arriving at the warehouse she felt a chill to her spine, perhaps that horror movie on the movie night the day before hadn't been such a good thing. She blamed John for encouraging Ronon to pick such a movie._

_When Rodney opened the heavy door she had almost expected to meet some kind of monster on the other side. She felt relief flowing through her system as no one came to greet them and she was grateful Rodney took up the front position. _

_After walking slowly through the empty first floor she thought she heard something. She grabbed McKay's arm in an attempt to stop him and get closer to him. The scientist seemed to be frozen in place at the instant and she got confused. Then before she could ask she heard the sound again._

"_What was that?" __She whispered._

"_Wraith." He turned and started pushing her in the opposite direction. "We have to get out of here." _

_She felt him trying to push her in the opposite direction and then ending up on the floor. _

_McKay fired off several shots and she prayed the rest of the team would come soon._

_She didn't need to wait long before P90:s opened fire. She could hear John shout something to Ronon and Teyla and their muffled answers over the weapons fire. She thought she heard her name being called out and was sure of it when Rodney replied. _

"_In here!" The scientist shouted._

_She heard rather than saw the Wraith fa__lling to the ground and she carefully glanced over the only thing between her and the Wraith. Her friends moved swiftly forward, closing in on their position till they came within the distance of a single metre and no Wraith remained upright. _

"_Oh thank you…what took you so long?" She heard McKay ask John but she was too shaken up at that moment to hear what the reply was. _

"_The Wraith tried to kill us." Rodney said, the fear was evident in his accusing tone. _

"_We got a faint blip on the life-signs-detector from here." She said sadly while looking over her shoulder."_

_oooooooooo_

She shivered as she remembered their faces; some of them stared at her almost accusingly.

Her fingers flew over the buttons as if trying to rush things.

Colonel Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla arrived minutes later and took care of the Wraith. What I had caught a glimpse of earlier were bodies of dead villagers. Apparently some Wraith had stayed behind to finish up what they had started. I can only regret that we didn't arrive earlier; perhaps the lives of many innocent people could have been spared.

She sighed deeply and unconsciously put her hands around her body.

She could only imagine the horror the poor people had encountered in their last few hours alive. It chilled her to the bone. The mere thought that it would all have been different if they had come earlier made her sick. She found herself thinking; what if?

_oooooooooo_

To be continued


	8. Chapter 8

_oooooooooo_

The faint light from the moon outside indicated that it was early night and given the low activity around him he knew he was right in his assumption. He let out a low moan as he shifted in his bed. He glanced down at his side and found the bandage clean and crisp. Marie had no doubt changed them before going off shift. He studied his bandaged hand; it didn't hurt much at all, and tested flexing it. The last part might have been a mistake and he grimaced as the action pulled on the wound that went across his palm. The overall feeling was better though and he felt like he could get up and get back to work.

Yesterday morning he had felt almost the same but then he was told to be on the good drugs and that he was in no condition to run around the city. Keller had been quite specific on that last point and all he could do was to lie down and be a nice colonel.

He glanced around till his eyes landed upon a very familiar sleeping scientist. Rodney had become better for every minute since they had returned to Atlantis and by now he should have been released and resting in his own quarters. John smiled ruefully. Rodney and the Doc was a couple, he wasn't blind, and Rodney would no doubt take advantage of his stay in the infirmary to have Jennifer take care of him a little longer. Since McKay was a hypochondriac he often spent time down in the infirmary anyway. Perhaps Jennifer thought it was better to check up on him in the infirmary than it was when he had walked down to the lab; where he would no doubt be if not in the infirmary. Especially since they had so little knowledge and information about the Ancient chamber on Acclo.

John also knew that Rodney had complained about how pale and tired he seemed to be. Directly after that Jennifer had come straight to him. Rodney had meant well he knew that but the last thing he needed was to be on more pain medication and be told that he shouldn't rush his recovery.

At one time he had found Teyla sitting beside him with her foot in cast on a chair. When he had looked at her with tired hazel-green eyes she had smiled and taken his hand.

"_Do you remember when I told you that there was a time when I would have given my life for any of you?" She had looked at Ronon and Rodney across the room and then back to him. _

_He nodded, afraid of the dept of this conversation. _

"_Even though I have Torren I haven't stopped loving you all as my friends and I care about you all deeply." She looked him in the eyes. _

"_I don't know what I would do without you, Ronon and Rodney because you are my second family." She swallowed and squeezed his hand a little harder. _

"_So please John; we have to stop banging on death's door or at least doing it a little less frequent." _

_He avoided her gaze for a moment before meeting it again with a smile on his lips. "I think we can do that."_

_She smiled back at him. "I'll take that as a promise." _

He found himself smiling as he looked at the moon through one of the big windows. He cast a quick glance around the room and found to his satisfaction that everyone was asleep and that no nurse was around.

He grimaced as he took a sitting position and swung his legs over the edge. The stitches pulled in his side and he briefly considered getting back behind the covers. He put his feet on the floor and quietly began moving toward the exit. Not that Keller wasn't a good doctor but he couldn't just lie in a bed all the time. Closing in on the exit he smiled but it didn't last long because on the other side of the doors stood the good doctor with folded arms and a stern look on her face.

"Taking a walk Colonel?" She asked suspiciously.

"Just strolling around stretching my legs." He said.

Jennifer found it hard not to laugh at his boyish features as he tried to look innocent. The military leader of Atlantis looked like a child in a candy store who just had been told that he couldn't get any lollipops.

Her features softened a bit as she moved forward to him and grabbed his arm. "Colonel John Sheppard what did I told you yesterday and earlier today?"

He continued his innocent charade. "I don't remember; you had me on the good drugs."

She narrowed her eyes and started to lead him towards his bed. "John."

His eyes narrowed to match hers and he dropped his act. "Fine, you decide when I leave."

She smiled with satisfaction. "So you do listen to me once in a while."

She helped him get back under the covers and checked his IV. "I hope you haven't torn your stitches."

"No I don't think so." He answered honestly.

She looked at him. "Why?"

He looked back at her confused.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

When he didn't reply she sat down on a chair nearby. "I don't think the military contingent here wants another leader and your team certainly doesn't. I know you only want to save everyone but sometimes you are endangering your own life in way that I, as a doctor and a friend, can't accept."

"I haven't saved everyone; in fact far from it." He replied tiredly.

"When you left the Daedalus to save Teyla I wondered what I had done. I wished I had stopped you until you all came back." She looked around the room, Ronon had been released to his quarters but Teyla and Rodney was still there sleeping peacefully on their beds. John followed her gaze and met her eyes when she turned to look at him again.

"What do you think Rodney would do without you? You are like a brother to him."

"He would continue to play with his gadgets and find new Ancient toys; besides he has you." John replied.

"That's not the same and you know it. I tried to comfort him when he almost died because of the parasite in his brain but it was you he turned to and looked up to." She saw him look away.

"And Teyla? She has Torren and she has his father but that is not enough. You defended her in her early days in Atlantis from suspicions and helped her people to get away from the Wraith. She relies on you and thrust your judgement. If there had been _any_ other team leader she wouldn't have returned to the team after she had Torren."

He smiled. "You are just guessing Doc."

"Perhaps I am but I'd say it's really close to the truth."

She looked at his hand and saw the blood on the bandage. "Have you had an accident?"

"One would think so." He answered looking at his hand.

She sighed got up and returned with a fresh bandage. "And what would Ronon do? It's not like he talks to many people around here."

"Ronon doesn't need me; he is perfectly capable of looking after himself."

"Maybe but you took him under your wings and got him out of trouble. You treat him like an equal and he sees you like a brother in arms. You are one of the few he really listens to." Jennifer said while finishing up his hand.

"Are you done with the pep talk?" John asked amused.

"Did it help?" She asked smiling at him.

"You could have been a psychologist Doc."

She rose from the chair and folded her arms. "Now I will release you when you are ready but for the moment your body needs time to recuperate. I _don't_ want any setback is that clear?"

"You are a hard one to negotiate with." Sheppard smiled mischievously.

"However, since you have slept almost the whole day, you are allowed to write a report for Mr. Woolsey." Jennifer said.

"Well that's exactly what I would like right now." He said sarcastically.

"I could give you something to sleep on." She offered.

"I need my computer." He looked at her suddenly remembering the time of the day. "What are you doing here this hour anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep; images in my head." She explained.

He nodded thoughtfully. "You will have to learn to live with them. They are the only thing that makes us different from the Wraith. They make us human."

_oooooooooo_

_To be continued _

_I just want to say thank you to the lovely people reading and reviewing__ my earlier chapters ;) _


	9. Chapter 9

_//Thank you for reviewing I really appreciate it. I know updates have been irregular but inspiration suddenly came to me for a while. I hope you enjoy._

_oooooooooo_

_Atlantis Mission Report Archive _

_P3X-561-M, Acclo_

_Military Commander of Atlantis _

_Colonel John Sheppard _

After my Athosian team member had arrived back to Atlantis from a visit to her people she told me of their missing trading partners. She was worried that something had happened to them since they hadn't heard anything for over a week.

_oooooooooo_

"_I don't know John I find it strange." She looked at him concerned. _

"_The Acclosians are a proud people but they would never say no to help if it was really needed."_

"_Have Halling and the others tried to contact them?" He asked curiously. _

_Teyla nodded. "Yes they activated the gate but no one seemed to be close to it. A trade had been scheduled that day. My people didn't try to reach the Acclosian village out of fear." _

_He nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. "We will find them let's just a have talk to Woolsey first." _

_oooooooooo_

I contacted the expedition leader Richard Woolsey and summoned my team. We agreed that Doctor Keller should join us in case of a medical emergency. With that settled we took the necessary supplies and headed to the gate.

_oooooooooo_

_Rodney seemed to have applied some cream to his face and neck__, making him look sick. The scientist's version of a mosquito hat was also an interesting touch. He had to bite his lip not to chuckle. _

"_What is that smell?" Ronon asked wrinkling his nose. _

"_What smell?" Rodney asked. _

_He rolled his eyes. "It's probably Rodney's bug spray." _

_While Rodney was annoyed Ronon seemed trigger happy. He was about to say something but was interrupted by the arrival of Teyla and Jennifer. _

"_I am sorry that we are late John." Teyla said softly but her posture betrayed her calm voice. _

"_It's my fault, packing all things took some time." Keller excused._

"_Travelling light is not your style Doc?" He asked amused, watching her carrying a bag with medical supplies. _

_Jennifer smiled at him. "One can never be too careful." _

_Rodney rolled his eyes. "It's not like there's been a plague or anything." _

_When no one answered his expression changed from annoyed to concerned. "Right?" McKay asked for confirmation. _

_He__ made a sweeping gesture towards the gate. "The answer will soon reveal itself to you." _

"_Do we really have to go on this mission?" Rodney whined. "I mean Zelenka needs to spend more time off world." _

_He gave McKay one of his mischievous smiles and folded his arms. "What's the matter; no technological advancements or ancient devices on the planet?" _

_Teyla had turned to Rodney with a disappointed look on her face. "Doctor McKay the people on Acclo are my friends. Humans don't need to be technologically advanced to be something in this world." _

"_In this galaxy they won't live long if they aren't." The scientist returned._

_Ronon shook his head and took up his gun._

_He__ looked at his friend curiously. "Are we expecting trouble?" _

"_You need to be prepared." Came a short reply._

_oooooooooo_

No one came to greet us on the planet and it seemed unnaturally quiet; other than that nothing seemed to be wrong. Doctor McKay took sweeps with the life-signs-detector and came up empty. The climate on the planet was very humid and it took some time to get used to it and learn how to use it as an advantage. We began moving in the direction of the village with Teyla leading the way.

_oooooooooo_

_He sighed, feeling the climate as a heavy drape over his shoulders. He and Ronon __were walking closely behind the doctors with Teyla up front when the peace and quiet stopped._

"_Why would people estab__lish a village on a plateau?" Rodney asked annoyed._

_A thin layer of sweat covered the scientists face and neck. _

_He turned to the scientist__. "As I said before McKay you need to quit whining and exercise more." _

_However his peak was met with an annoyed reply._

"_For someone as smart as you are supposed to be you should have figured out I am far too busy in my lab solving tricky problems." Rodney replied._

_He refrained from rolling his eyes. __"Of course; the Pegasus galaxy wouldn't survive without you." He said sarcastically._

_oooooooooo_

The walk towards the village went fairly well…

He paused in his writing and gave McKay a glare over his screen thinking back on the early hours of the mission.

_oooooooooo_

_He felt tiredness seeping into his bones and did his best to shake the feeling off. They needed to take break and have some water soon. He was interrupted in his thoughts by a very familiar voice._

"_I don't believe it; every insect seem to want a part of me." Rodney complained as he scratched his itching neck. _

"_Well it must feel great to be so attractive." He smirked. _

_Rodney's skin had gotten a slight red tan and he heard a small chuckle up front._

_Ignoring Keller, Rodney had aimed straight for the source of the remark and had an incredulous look on his face. _

"_Why am __I__ the only one?" _

_He had another remark on his tongue but Ronon beat him to it._

"_It's probably your bug spray McKay." Ronon said bluntly._

_Teyla took a step towards McKay, in an attempt to cheer him up, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry Rodney they aren't poisonous." She said smiling._

_oooooooooo_

…we began moving over an open field in order to reach the forest and after that we would have to climb a steep mountain to get to the actual village. However when we had moved past the middle of the grassy field we heard a whining sound.

He felt tempted to write that it wasn't McKay but resisted.

_oooooooooo_

_He motioned for the rest of the team to stop and looked up in the sky. "Sounds suspiciously like a dart."_

_McKay had followed his gaze and the scientist's expression told him that he had been right even before the answer came._

"_It is a dart…darts!" Rodney said anxiously. _

_He felt the sudden danger and immediately took control over the situation._

"_Everyone moves now!" He shouted. _

_Teyla aimed her P90 at the first dart and nodded her head to her right. "The village is this way!"_

_He counted on his team and didn't have time to do anything else than fire at the ships threatening to beam them onboard. But he heard McKay theorize about the Acclosian's destiny and was afraid that Rodney had a very accurate point._

"_Okay the mystery is solved; they got culled!" McKay shouted over the noise hands on his gun. _

"_We have to look for survivors." Ronon replied as he got in a direct hit on the second dart. _

_oooooooooo_

As I suspected a dart approached our position and then immediately radioed our position to the rest of them. It didn't take long before several small Wraith ships flew over our heads. We got in a couple of hits and managed to take two down. We waited for another attack but it never came; instead the rest of them retreated towards the gate. It is possible that their mother ship lay near the gate at another address in order to operate without interruption from other Hive ships looking for feeding grounds.

Since my team was unhurt we continued towards the village but from this moment with caution and weapons drawn.

The rest of the walk proved to be difficult more due to the climate than anything else. After several short breaks drinking water we finally reached the village. I didn't expect anyone to come and shake our hands because of the Wraith but I had expected someone to be alive somewhere.

_o__ooooooooo_

"_We have to secure the area." He was happy no Wraith had showed up but he couldn't rule out the possibility that some of them still walked around the village._

_Ronon and Teyla had quickly moved closer to him all protecting each other. _

_Keller walked up to him with determined look on her face. The fear of almost getting beamed up by a dart had vanished and all he saw was the professional Doctor Keller. _

"_I will look for survivors." Jennifer said._

_He __nodded. "Take McKay with you."_

_oooooooooo_

We split up into two teams; Teyla, Ronon and myself moved to secure the area. Doctor McKay and Doctor Keller used the life-signs-detector trying to find anything living.

After 30 minutes we had found nothing and came to the conclusion that all the Wraith had left the area. At least that's what we thought. The suddenly we heard P90 fire and something sounding suspiciously like Wraith stunners. I took the lead and we ran towards the last known position of the rest of the team.

The shots originated from an old warehouse and the door was open so we didn't bother to knock. It took a while for the eyes to get used to the semi-darkness and we had to wait. That waiting part was very hard knowing that every second counts for your friends.

We rushed in and quickly took cover as we were met by several Wraith stunners. Teyla tried to get in touch with McKay and Keller. As McKay answered we knew that they were still alive; that and that they fired at the Wraith. Tricking the Wraith to spread out in order to make them an easier target we managed to take all of them down.

_oooooooooo _

_He let his eyes sweep over the surroundings one last time to make sure no one had hid behind something. He looked at Ronon who nodded and lowered his gun. _

_Teyla had moved over to Jennifer and Rodney. "Are you all right?"_

_He saw Jennifer nod stiffly with a faint smile on her lips. _

"_Oh thank you…what took you so long?" McKay asked glaring at him. _

"_What happened?" He returned ignoring Rodney's comment. _

"_The Wraith tried to kill us." The scientist snapped. _

_Jennifer seemed to have found her voice but her face was ashen. __"We got a faint blip on the life-sign- detector from here." _

_oooooooooo_

John was a soldier but the dead Acclosians on the floor would serve as another remainder of failure. Another image added to the many that already competed to be in his nightmares.

He couldn't have handled things different than what he had and he knew it but that feeling of helplessness nagged at him. Such a waste of human life and from what Teyla had told; good people.

_oooooooooo_

He put his fingers over the buttons once again.

Retrieving our people went smooth as we had eliminated the last of the Wraith. At the same time we got our answer to what had happened to the Acclosians. They had all been culled; drained by the Wraith.

He set his jaw and flexed his good hand as he continued typing.

Not a single Acclosian lived to tell exactly what happened because we came too late and their faces will no doubt hunt me for some time.

_oooooooooo_

John sighed and looked at his report and then at the watch on his left arm; Keller had let him have it back.

He was surprised at how long he had been at it and that no one had told him to rest. When he had let his memories from the planet rest he felt how tired he was and that his hand hurt. He hadn't used it much but it had obviously been enough and it stung.

Keller was suddenly at his side. "I'll take that now." She said indicating his computer in front of him.

He didn't resist, he simply nodded.

She scrutinized him. He looked tired and hurt; no smart replies were thrown at her and he didn't ask when he could leave.

"You are tired." She said and looked at his chart and IV.

"Perhaps a little." He admitted.

She glanced at him with a disbelieving look on her face. "More than a little I would think. Does it hurt?"

He closed his eyes briefly before answering her. "My hand."

She nodded. "It's my fault I shouldn't have given you that painkiller before."

She looked at him with smile on her lips. "Now do you see why I didn't release you earlier?"

"I get the point Doc."

Her smile grew wider. "Good; now you rest and I'll see you tomorrow."

_o__ooooooooo_

_To be continued _


	10. Chapter 10

_// So here we go about half a year later. I promise to update regularly now, although it's still not finished I have come a long way. Enough with that on with the story._

_oooooooooo_

Teyla slowly opened her eyes; she felt well rested and fresh. The foot did no longer hurt the way it had before and she was satisfied that the rest of the team was on the mend. This would be the fourth day since they came back and she gained strength for every day that went past. She tried to shift the injured foot off the pillow but the cast was so heavy that she had to use both her hands as support. She had done it before as she sat at John's side and when she had been talking to Rodney. However it still took some effort.

Marie walked over seeing her trying to get up. "Wait a minute and I'll help you." The dark haired woman said.

Teyla smiled. "That would be much appreciated."

"Is there any special place you want to go to?" The nurse asked as she steadied the Athosian and gave her a pair of crutches.

"I will only walk nearby so don't worry; besides I will be back soon." She smiled before adding a look of confusion.

"I thought Jennifer would be here today?"

"Yes she will but she stayed long last night so Doctor Cole is taking the early hours."

"Was there a problem?" Teyla wondered.

"No she finished up some work and had a chat with Colonel Sheppard."

Teyla looked in his direction and watched him sleep peacefully, he seemed better as well. His skin color was almost back to normal and it did no longer look like he was coping with a fever.

"I wanted to talk to him after my walk but perhaps I should let him rest." Teyla said.

Marie couldn't help but notice the concern showing in her face.

The Athosian glanced towards McKay's bed. "I could always talk to Rodney."

Marie nodded. "Don't be long or we'll send the cavalry out to get you." She smiled softly.

_oooooooooo_

Ronon sighed, he was bored of resting. He had always loved action, ever since he was a little boy on Sateda. And his life had come to be full of action ever since; not always good action. Ronon didn't usually say much; what was there to say to people he didn't feel comfortable with or didn't like?

He liked and respected his team members, Doctor Beckett and Doctor Keller. Woolsey was still too much of a bureaucrat for his liking. Colonel Carter was okay, she was military and he had come to respect Doctor Weir. He had been very sad when she had died but she had done it like a true warrior and that made him proud.

He ran the corridors of Atlantis to get in shape. He had been resting long enough; besides what Keller didn't know didn't hurt her. He had no fever and his arm was healing nicely and the only thing he wanted was to have his friends out of the infirmary and go out on a new mission.

Ronon rounded a corner deep in thought and almost collided with a small muscular woman. He came to a halt just inches before her, recognition dawned on him and his face split into a wide grin. "Teyla."

She looked at him narrowing her eyes and if she could she would have folded her arms. "Ronon are you trying to run over an innocent woman?"

"Sorry." He said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Have you escaped the infirmary?"

"No I am just stretching my sore muscles. Unlike the rest of you I usually follow Doctor Keller's advice." She gave him a knowing look.

"I thought you were supposed to rest?" She added.

"I am." Came the short reply.

She chose to let the matter rest knowing full well she couldn't change his mind. "How is it going with your report?" She asked carefully knowing he hated it.

"Don't know; I am almost finished I guess." He shrugged

She looked at him. "Maybe I could help you?"

"Nah you have enough to do." He looked down in the floor.

"No I don't, the only thing I do is laying on my back staring at the ceiling." She smiled at him. "I'll tell you what; I'll write some more on my report and then we go through yours."

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

oooooooooo

Rodney glanced up in the ceiling annoyed. Someone, well Doctor Cole, had taken his computer and she wouldn't give it back. Perhaps she was afraid what would happen considering the last time. However Rodney McKay wasn't one to give up.

"I need to do some research." He glared in the doctor's direction.

"Well the little I can do from here." He added.

Cole sighed heavily. The man was so arrogant and at times she would gladly have twisted his neck if he hadn't been a valued member of the expedition and if she hadn't taken the oath of do no harm.

"Doctor McKay; do you know why you are here in the first place?" She tried diplomatically.

"Yes I almost died on that freaking planet." Came the sarcastic reply.

"You are here to rest and the more you rest and behave the sooner you can get to your lab and do your research." Amanda Cole explained logically.

"I am fine, well perhaps I have a slight fever and my muscles are a bit sore…"

"What is it now? Is it McKay again?" An annoyed voice asked from across the room.

"Stay out of this Sheppard I am having a discussion with Doctor Cole."

"Yeah I can hear that, it's kinda hard not to." John answered sarcastically.

The doors opened revealing Keller and Teyla who had obviously met outside in the corridor.

"What's going on?" Jennifer asked frowning.

Rodney was sitting up in bed his nose in the air and his features annoyed. Doctor Cole was equally annoyed standing near Rodney with her arms folded over her chest and Colonel Sheppard had his hands over his face massaging his temples.

"Finally." Rodney said testily looking at her ignoring the other doctor. "I was only asking nicely for my computer."

Amanda Cole snorted.

"You can have it." Keller said.

"Ha you see?" Rodney asked triumphantly looking at Doctor Cole.

"Later." Keller said sternly before continuing.

"You would have gotten the computer from Amanda as well Rodney if you had just taken the meal prepared for you and asked nicely."

"Oh." He said not knowing what else to say at the moment.

He looked at the Doctors and smiled. "I was going to be served food? Why didn't you say so I am starving."

oooooooooo

An hour later Teyla was hard at it again. After a good meal and a short walk she had grabbed her computer. She was going to have that report finished for Mr. Woolsey. She opened the file and started typing again.

After the encounter with the Wraith and the dead Acclosians we stood in silence to honour them on their last journey. It will be my duty to break the news to my people and I am not looking forward to it.

The team agreed that the Acclosians should be buried by another people from the Pegasus galaxy to give them peace and welfare. Since our people once stood very close it was decided that I would contact my people.

Colonel Sheppard led the way from the village after I had performed a ritual to guide their spirits home. We walked in silence for a long time before taking a break. It was almost evening but the setting of the sun wouldn't do much for the humidity on Acclo so the pauses for water were necessary. Since no one had seen or heard anything for a couple of hours we had let our guard down a little; that was a terrible mistake.

oooooooooo

"_How can people live here? I mean of all the places they could have chosen." Rodney complained wiping his face. _

"_Do you always have to be so negative?" Jennifer asked as nicely she could as she was tired, achy and hot._

"_What are you telling me? That he has a positive side?" John asked sarcastically._

"_Give a guy a break I am hot, tired and achy I think I am coming down with something." The scientist whined. _

"_Being hot is not necessary a bad thing." Sheppard smirked. _

_She felt the dread coming over her as she thought she had heard a sound. She tensed and started to look around. _

_John immediately turned serious, his eyes following her gaze. "What is it?" _

_The second later several stunners cut through the woods._

"_Get down!" She shouted _

_She heard Keller shout and saw Rodney go down. She and John read each other and quickly got into defensive positions and returned fire. _

"_They are all over the place!" She shouted._

_Ronon grabbed Rodney, hauled him up and took off with the others not far behind._

"_We have to get out in the open to reach the gate!" Keller shouted. _

"_Go! Teyla and I will lay cover fire." John shouted. _

_Keller didn't need to be told twice. She saw the doctor as she sprung into action helping Ronon with Rodney. Jennifer then grabbed the scientist's P90 and rushed to help her and John. _

_It had amazed her at the time that the younger doctor had had the courage to do so but she was grateful for the help._

_They neared the grassy field and she willed herself to run faster and the others seemed to have done the same. She fired again and managed to get in a direct hit but her relief over that was short. A whining sound could be heard in the distance and they hadn't much time. _

"_I hear a dart!" She shouted over the noise for the others to hear._

"_We have to move faster; when we get a little closer I'll cover you." John looked at her making sure she had heard. "Then you dial the gate." _

_She said she had understood but the reply never got to the receiver because of the shots fired around them. _

_The Wraith where persistent in their pursuit but only two of them remained upright; at least of those she could see. It could be ten more in the woods somewhere she didn't know about and she hoped to never found out. _

"_We need to get away from here!" She shouted as the single dart began closing in on their position. _

_Instead of a reply she heard something snap and John shouting for Ronon to move. _

_She brought the last Wraith down and instantly turned around but she could no longer see Ronon and Rodney. Almost in slow motion she saw John throwing himself down as if to grab something and then Jennifer was throwing herself down reaching for the colonel's lower legs._

_She heard rather then saw the dart approaching and she ran towards the team, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body, she had to help them in some way. However she wasn't fast enough. She heard someone cry out and in the next couple of seconds all of them had fallen through the ground to who knew where. _

_The dart was almost in position and she had no choice; she prepared herself to jump but hesitated seeing how deep it actually was. Seconds later she felt herself falling, not knowing what she would face. _

_oooooooooo_

Teyla opened her eyes and let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

When had she closed her eyes? She looked at the screen in front of her. The last word written was very true; mistake. Teyla tried to calm herself down; everything that she was experiencing when closing her eyes had already happened and she couldn't do anything about it.

The Athosian continued to type.

We were ambushed by several Wraith and Doctor McKay had the misfortune of getting hit. Ronon quickly grabbed the doctor as I, Colonel Sheppard and later Doctor Keller distracted and brought down most of the Wraith. When we neared the gate something went wrong. I later learned that the roof on an Ancient chamber had collapsed under the combined weight of Ronon and Doctor McKay.

Colonel Sheppard managed to grab Doctor McKay's feet and Doctor Keller successfully got hold of Colonel Sheppard's legs but he couldn't hold the grip as he was slammed into the wall. The chamber had once been built to last long and the ceiling had been laid up on long and small beams; it was one of them that penetrated Colonel Sheppard's side as he tried to haul up the others. The momentum and surprise carried all four of them six meters further down.

She felt herself once again being drawn back to the events of that day.

_oooooooooo_

_Touching the ground six meters down wasn't a nice experience even if you landed on your feet. Her feet and legs protested the strain and she almost immediately rolled over on her side grimacing. Grateful that nothing seemed to be broken or sprained she threw herself at the wall as if it would protect her against the dart above. _

"_They are coming!" She shouted._

_But the dart just flew over and made no attempt to beam them up. It seemed confused as if it had lost its prey. The sun was setting and it was getting dark but she knew the Wraith flew by instruments. She thanked higher powers for whatever reasons the Wraith had left and momentarily closed her eyes. She heard movement near her and low voices. _

"_W…Wraith?" McKay asked sluggishly as he lay on top of Ronon._

_Keller heaved herself up from the ground and she couldn't help but see the doctor's pained expression. _

"_Are you all right?" She asked concerned, taking in the dusty appearance in front of her. _

_The doctor seemed dazed and she __favored__ her left hand a little. A small cut ran over her cheek. _

_Keller nodded. "Just bruised I think." _

_A low moan escaped from somewhere near and she turned trying to locate it. She swallowed as she found its source. _

"_John?" She kneeled beside him; placing a hand on his shoulder. _

_He looked pale even in the evening light filtered in from above their heads. _

"_Don't get up." She said concerned. _

_She knew that John wouldn't even be on the ground if he was okay; something was very wrong. He was badly injured and she didn't see where. She gently unzipped his vest and moved her hands over his torso, stopping as she felt something sticky on her fingers. She looked more closely to his right side and swallowed as she saw the blood stain on his shirt. _

"_Jennifer!" She said with urgency in her tone. _

_The doctor seemed to have come to her senses and quickly took control of the situation. _

"_Colonel Sheppard?" Jennifer asked ripping the shirt open. _

_The doctor carefully lifted the plastered t-shirt and glanced up at her. "I need my bag." _

_She nodded and quickly got up searching for the medical bag. She could hear Keller in the background. _

"_John can you hear me?" Jennifer sounded concerned._

"_What's wrong?" Ronon asked as he came closer; McKay was not far behind. _

"_Just give me a second." Keller said, not taking her eyes off the patient._

"_John?" The doctor asked again. _

"_I'm…here." Came a weakened reply._

_Having found the medical kit she walked up to them and handed Jennifer some of the pressure bandage. She then carefully sat down placing John's head in her lap trying to make him comfortable. _

_Jennifer nodded at her and then turned her attention back to her patient. _

"_Listen to me; something penetrated your side and it's bleeding quite heavily so I need to put pressure."_

"_Do what…you need to doc." He said; his face tight with pain._

"_Oh…it's bad isn't it?" Rodney asked concerned._

_Jennifer was about to answer when a hand suddenly grabbed her own. Hazel-green eyes locked with the doctor's. _

_She carefully placed her own hand on his as Keller nodded. _

"_I know it hurts but I have to do this." The doctor said. _

_The colonel nodded, licking his lips, briefly closing his eyes. _

_Jennifer looked at Rodney and Ronon. "It's not good but it's not life threatening." _

_Keller switched subject. "How are you two holding up?" She asked noticing Ronon's bleeding arm and Rodney's pale face. _

_Ronon nodded. "I am fine." _

"_Well how do you think I feel; first I get stunned by some lucky Wraith and the next thing I know I am falling…who knows the depth." Rodney replied. _

_She saw the doctor smile and she felt herself smiling too. What else could they do? After all Rodney was Rodney. _

"_Well at least you are standing up." Keller offered._

_Rodney's expression changed from slightly annoyed to concern as he looked at John. "I am far better off than Sheppard. He is going to be all right isn't he?" _

"_He needs proper medical attention; he needs to get back to Atlantis."_

"_Hey I am still…here and I was kinda on my way there remember?" John said. _

_Keller smiled at him before looking at the Satedan again. "Ronon we need to look at your arm." _

_He shrugged. "It's just a scratch." _

"_So is this; we should concentrate on getting out of here before the Wraith comes back." Sheppard said attempting to sit. _

"_Colonel with all due respect if you move right now it could start to bleed again."Keller said in a voice that had no room for argument._

"_Perhaps you should lie still for a while?" She tried diplomatically. _

_He gave her a dignified look and blinked; he obviously tried to focus but he didn't attempt to move._

_She smiled at him. "Good; we will find a way out of here, do not worry."_

_oooooooooo_

Teyla made a face at the memory. If she had known then how long it would take them to get home…

She sighed and put her fingers on the buttons.

In order to escape the Wraith I joined the rest of the team in the Ancient chamber. The Wraith dart just went right over us but did not make any attempt to capture us and why I still don't know for sure. Doctor McKay seems to think the Ancient chamber was shielded and therefore blocked our lifesigns but he isn't certain.

I was grateful nothing was broken after the jump and went to check up on the others who had fallen. Doctor Keller seemed fairly okay although she was favoring her right hand and had sustained a cut to her cheek. I am sure that Doctor Keller will leave an update on our medical conditions in her report. Ronon and Doctor McKay could stand on their own feet; apparently Ronon had broken Rodney's fall. As I mentioned before Colonel Sheppard was worst off since he was bleeding quite heavily.

We could not get up the same way we came and we had only two choices; we could sit down and wait for someone to rescue us or we could try and force the door open. The Chamber that we had fallen into had obviously been sealed for a long time and near the door was an Ancient access panel. However it wasn't a standard door like the ones in Atlantis. I once read a mission report from SG-1 where Colonel Mitchell described how he and Teal'c had been imprisoned in an Ancient chamber as they had tried to solve a puzzle or riddle. It was that sort of mechanism; except the roof weren't to come crushing in on us.

_ooooooooo_

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

_// Thank you for reading and reviewing._

_It's wonderful to know that people still want to read this._

_ooooooooo_

Teyla sighed; she was tired and hungry and she could feel her foot beginning to ache. She looked around the infirmary searching for Jennifer but she was nowhere to be found. However the Satedan came walking in, looking like he was ready for a new mission.

"Ronon." She said smiling.

"Teyla." He acknowledged walking over to her.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"A better question would be how you are doing? Are you going to be here for long?"

She looked at him folding her arms. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I am bored and I am not allowed to spar yet so I tried to practice some of your meditation techniques…"

"Then you must be very bored." She said diplomatically. "What about continuing with your report?"

"I am not that bored." He looked at her face seeing the tense lines. "Do you need anything?"

"Actually I was looking for Jennifer to get something for the pain but I was unable to locate her."

"I saw her in the mess but I'll go and find Marie for you." He turned to leave but stopped and turned to her again. "You hungry?"

She smiled. "When did you become a mind reader?"

"Don't know; must have been meditating too much."

_oooooooooo_

Rodney woke up feeling better although he was still sore after everything he had been through. However he had no fever and as Jennifer had told him he had not broken anything.

He really liked her and all but perhaps she had missed something because he had a very sore spot on his right side.

Doctor Cole had told him he was to be released in a day if he showed no signs of getting the fever back. All his of his vitals had stabilized and he were curious about the ancient cave system or bunker or whatever it was. If the Wraith really looked for something that they believed would give them an advantage in a useful situation they would not stop until they found it or it was destroyed. It troubled him and he needed to get Woolsey to send an away team to protect it.

He opened his laptop to try and think about something else; to try and search for something that would be a giveaway to what they had actually found. He already thought they had figured it out though. However his mind drifted back to the mission itself so he opened his report again and quickly scanned through what he had written and started to type once again.

_oooooooooo_

When we didn't find any more dead people and no more Wraith came barging in after us we stood in silence. There wasn't much to say, nothing would have brought them back. I believe Teyla was worst off since her people had a connection to the Acclosians that went back for many generations. She mentioned briefly that the Athosians would perform the burial ceremony and take care of everything.

_oooooooooo_

_The Athosian kneeled at the closest corpse, her eyes closed and her head bowed. It looked so surreal and strange. Did she really believe that a bunch of rituals would help the already dead? For him there were no proofs that there even were another life. Science did not point in that direction and for Rodney science meant everything. However Pegasus had changed some of his believes; opened up his senses and made him realize that there where many things that couldn't be explained by science; not yet anyway. Not a single day seemed to be like another in this galaxy and he briefly wondered if he would ever readapt to earth after all the years in Pegasus. _

_He was roused of his musings as Teyla slowly rose and nodded at them. Jennifer went to Teyla and gently squeezed her shoulder in a comfortable gesture. John nodded at the door and they silently made their way out of building. _

_The humid climate made his clothes suck to his body and he felt hot and clammy almost instantly. In order to reach the gate they had to walk at least an hour; besides there was no telling if the Wraith had left or lurked in the bushes. At this point he really hated this planet. _

"_How can people live here? I mean of all the places they could have chosen." He complained wiping his face. _

"_Do you __always __have to be so negative?" Jennifer asked with forced politeness._

"_What are you telling me? That he has a negative side?" John asked sarcastically._

"_Give a guy a break I am hot, tired and achy. I think I am coming down with something." He was really not in the mood for this. _

"_Being hot is not necessary a bad thing." Sheppard smirked. _

_He slowly turned around, glaring at the colonel. However John's focus lay on Teyla._

"_What is it?" Sheppard asked, immediately alert._

_He swallowed, starting to look around anxiously._

_However Teyla hadn't time to answer because the second later several stunners cut through the woods._

"_Get down!" She shouted _

_He still didn't see anything and he felt the panic rise and his body tensing. An instant later he felt the familiar sensation of a direct hit from a stunner. _

_He kept thinking back to something Carson said in the early days in Pegasus. ´Almost every receptor and nerve stops to function, you are immobilized. If not surrounded by friends you would have been fed upon only minutes later; silently watching long fingers connect with tissue while you are unable to do anything about it.´ _

_What really went on beside him at that point was blurred. He believed someone carried him and that they ran. _

_Certain words filtered through the P90 fire; words that wasn't at all encouraging. _

"…_dart…can't…"_

"…_faster."_

"…_away from here."_

_Then Sheppard's voice broke through the haze of his mind. "No! Ronon move!"_

_He felt his heart hammering in his chest; they were falling and he had almost no control over his body. He closed his eyes hoping something would break his fall. _

_Then something grabbed hold of them and they hung in the air but before he could breathe a sigh of relief they began to fall again. _

_He smashed into the Satedan like a rag doll and he could hear the others landing not far away. The air had been sucked out of his lungs and he struggled to get back the feeling in his limbs. _

"_W…Wraith?" He asked sluggishly as he lay on top of Ronon._

_He felt Ronon shift under him. "They flew over." _

"_Oh." He said surprised. _

"_McKay would you mind?" Ronon said._

"_Oh of course not." He carefully rolled off. "Thanks for breaking my fall." He added sheepishly._

"_You…are welcome." The Satedan grunted._

"_Jennifer!" He heard Teyla call with urgency in her tone._

_Teyla's worried voice made him stand up and slowly drag himself over. Ronon seemed to fly over the rocky ground to the others. He didn't look affected by the fall he had just taken._

_As he and Ronon got nearer they saw Sheppard on the ground, his shirt stained with blood and Keller's small hands smeared by it. Teyla quickly got up from her position and moved to get something. _

"_John can you hear me?" Jennifer sounded concerned._

"_What's wrong?" Ronon asked._

"_Just give me a second." Keller said, not taking her eyes off the patient._

"_John?" The doctor asked again. _

"_I'm…here." Came a weakened reply._

_He breathed out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding and put his hands on his knees; closing his eyes._

_The next minute he saw Teyla sitting at John's side again; his head in her lap while Jennifer untangled the bandages. _

"_Listen to me; something penetrated your side and it's bleeding quite heavily so I need to put pressure." Keller said. _

"_Do what…you need to doc." John replied; his face tight with pain._

"_Oh…it's bad isn't it?" He asked concerned._

_Jennifer was about to answer when a hand suddenly grabbed her own. Hazel-green eyes locked with the doctor's. _

_He watched as Teyla gently loosened John's grip on Jennifer's arm. He didn't like pain and he certainly didn't like blood. The fact that Colonel Sheppard; who never admitted to having pain; seemed so weak made his belly swirl. _

_Jennifer smiled at John. "I know it hurts but I have to do this." _

_However John didn't reply; he merely closed his eyes. _

_The doctor carefully cleaned the wound and bandaged it looking at him and Ronon. "It's not good but it's not life threatening." _

_She studied the two of them closely. "How are you two holding up?" She asked seeing Ronon's bleeding arm and Rodney's pale face. _

_Ronon nodded. "I am fine." _

_Something in him snapped as he suddenly realised what could have happened to him. "Well how do you think I feel; first I get stunned by some lucky Wraith and the next thing I know I am falling…who knows the depth." He replied. _

_Teyla and Jennifer both smiled. "Well at least you are standing up." Keller offered._

_His expression changed from slightly annoyed to concern as he looked at John. "I am far better off than Sheppard. He is going to be all right isn't he?" _

"_John needs proper medical attention; he needs to get back to Atlantis."_

"_Hey I am still…here and I was kinda on my way there remember?" The colonel said. _

_He rolled his eyes. "He is not bad enough to let go of the smart ass comments."_

_He moved away looking for something that would get them out. The faint light that filtered down in the chamber wasn't enough to actually see all details so he used his fingers to feel where he were going. About twenty minutes later he had found what he was looking for; an exit. _

_oooooooooo_

After a while we stepped out in the open and began our trek towards the gate. Unfortunately we didn't get too far before the Wraith showed up again. We let our guard down because we hadn't seen anything for over an hour and heard no sound. Assuming everything is going to be all right is obviously not an option in this galaxy.

Since I was targeted and abruptly taken down by a stunner blast I don't recall much of the events going on around me at the time. I do know I was carried by Ronon Dex as the others tried to take out the Wraith. However I am painfully aware that we fell through a ceiling of an Ancient chamber. I am going to recommend maintenance of their facilities. Apparently our combined weight became too much for the already strained structure beneath us.

I was surprised that this particular chamber or system of chambers weren't mentioned in the Ancient database on Atlantis. However I know now that the Ancient's didn't mention everything to each other. The facility that we found ourselves in belonged to Calanta which was a sister city to Atlantis that we found deep in the ground a couple of years ago. I believe that when the war had been lost and most of the Ancient cities destroyed it was a matter of survival on their own. This because the remaining cities where spread across the galaxy and had no means to contact each other since most of the stargates were rendered inoperable. Calanta is the only other city that we have found.

Rodney closed his report connecting with the database. He had to find out more about Calanta. Or as the stupid people inhabiting it called it; the tower.

oooooooooo


End file.
